1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to chemiluminescent lighting devices and media-containing devices, which are suitable for use as tumblers, coasters, bottle holders, attachment devices, and so forth.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Chemiluminescent devices are non-incandescent products, which produce light from the reaction of a mixture of chemical compounds. Originally, they were used as emergency lighting devices, which generally required twisting and shaking to mix the chemicals. Over time the development of chemiluminescent devices has led to smaller, cheaper commercial devices that offer a large number of colors and duration periods once activated.
There are numerous prior art patents such as Palmer et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,383, for a Self Illuminating Drinking Straw, which shows how a sealed vial containing a first liquid reactant may be submerged within a body of a second reactive liquid material. The entire reactive system is fully contained within a translucent outer shell. Breaking the sealed vial or otherwise causing the two reactants to mix activates the light generating reaction to produce light. This light producing chemical reaction is completely contained within the outer shell and does not generate any significant heat. Similar light generating reactions have been employed in a variety of devices including, for example, wearing apparel or accessories for attachment to children as safety items, and the like. Such devices can be shaken, tied to clothing, so as to cause the child to glow in the dark. They have even been proposed for use as fishing lures. The chemiluminescent reactions upon which such devices are based are temperature sensitive. They last longer (slower rate of reaction) in colder temperature but do not glow as brightly as under warmer conditions.
The light generated by chemiluminesent devices is usually described as being due to the reaction of an activator, such as a catalyzed hydrogen peroxide mixture with an oxalate. This is an ever-evolving field as greater varieties of colors have led to greater popularity; greater duration increases demand and so forth. Many chemiluminescent devices are now made with nontoxic materials.
Lighted coasters are well known and have been proposed in a variety of configurations. See, for example, Goodman U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,574, for a Lighted Coaster For Drinking Glass. This proposed coaster includes batteries and a light bulb. The weigh of a glass on the coaster activates a switch for the light. Amedee U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,866 proposes an illuminated coaster that is removably secured to the bottom of a cup by means of an adhesive. The light is generated by a chemiluminescent reaction. The coaster appears to be adapted for only one use. Thereafter it would be discarded. The positioning of various light shielding elements is proposed to generate the desired illumination. The chemiluminescent lighted coaster proposed by Collet U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,270 is reusable. It contains pockets for receiving replenishment chemiluminescent charges. Another use of chemiluminescent reactions in drinking vessels is proposed by Pita et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,081 for a Chemiluminescent Reactive Vessel. This vessel for the containment of food or drink has hollow walls, which are formed into at least two chambers. Breaking the barrier between the chambers activates the light generating reaction. No provision is made for replenishing the chemiluminescent charge. see also, Dorney U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,380. Specially configured drinking vessels with chambers for replaceably receiving self contained chemiluminescent charges have been proposed. See, for example, Newcomb et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,726 for an Illumiated Chemiluminescent Drinking Mug, and Diehl U.S. No. 5,609,409 for a Chemiluminescent Stemmed Drinking Glass. The disclosures of these patents generally focus on the entertainment value of serving food and drink in glowing containers or on glowing devices.
Collet U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,998 for an Assembly Device Combining A Container And A Chemiluminescent Light Source purports to describe a jacket for drinkwear that is illuminated by a chemiluminescent light source. A glow stick is described as being inserted in a transverse bore in the base of a jacket, see, for example, FIG. 11.
Chemiluminescent light sticks also are sold with a clear plastic tube that fits over each end. High aspect ratio light sticks are generally flexible enough to be used as glowing bracelets and necklaces.
Use of battery-operated devices is also known in the art. See, for example, Rosaia U.S. No. 5,624,177 for an I.C.B. Illuminating Unity Ring For Drinking Glass. While these proposed devices usually use light bulbs, light emitting diodes or LED""s may also be used with a battery.
Insulated sleeves for holding canned or bottled beverages with battery activated lamp displays thereon are proposed by Fleming U.S. No. 4,886,183 in his patent for a Beverage Container Holder.
Non-illuminated coasters that are removably mounted to cups that are specially configured to receive them are disclosed by Ige in his U.S Pat. No. 5,056,749 for a Receptacle And Coaster Assembly.
A liquid level indicator for a baby bottle has been proposed wherein a chemiluminescent liquid is caused to rise in a sight gauge by the weight of a baby bottle on the reservoir for the chemiluminescent liquid. The sight gauge is formed in a receptacle that encloses all but the nipple end of the baby bottle. See Petrosky et al. U.S. No. 5,044,509 for an Infant Nursing Bottle And Luminescent Indicator.
All of these devices and many more have been proposed as novelty and safety items based on the appeal and practicality of chemiluminescent reactions.
Transferable re-usable drinkwear container holders or sleeves, which can serve as attachments for tumblers, cups, cans, bottles, or any other form of beverage or food container, are configured to accommodate and position easily replaceable chemiluminescent charge containers so that they generally uniformly illuminate the periphery of an associated drinkwear container or article. Generally, such chemiluminescent charge containers are proportioned so as to be disposed around substantially the entire periphery of at least the base of an associated drinkwear article so that the illumination is generally uniform and concentrated at the periphery of the drinkwear article. The holders have proximal and distal ends, and generally. annular peripheries that correspond generally to the generally annular peripheries of the drinkwear articles to which they are to be attached. The distal end is generally adapted to receive the bottom of the associated drinkwear article. Such attachments may be made of transparent or translucent materials, as well as luminescent materials. Opaque or reflective materials may be used in certain areas of the attachment to control or direct light, if desired. The attachments or holders according to the present invention are small and light-weight but can fit interchangeably onto a variety of containers, for example bottles, drinking glasses and so forth. Preferably, such attachments are configured so that the container for the chemiluminescent charge can be manually inserted and removed within a few seconds. To this end, the bottom of the attachment can be left mostly open with only enough structure to support the container for the chemiluminescent charge in the desired position, and to prevent the bottom of the associated drinkwear container from sliding entirely through the holder. The container for the chemiluminescent charge can be quickly inserted through the open bottom and engaged with the support structure. The support structure can comprise, for example, a radially inwardly projecting peripheral shelf or groove in the generally annular wall of the attachment. The shelf or groove may extend for the full circumference of the holder, or for only a part of it, and there may be more than one such shelf. Typical preferred containers for the chemiluminescent charge comprise long slender tubes that are flexible enough to be coiled into a form, which approximately follows and is approximately the same length as the outer periphery of the drinkwear article with which it is to be associated. Typical such containers are cylindrical tubes having diameters of from approximately 4 to 10 millimeters and lengths of from approximately 500 to 1000 millimeters.
The holder or attachment, preferably in the region of its base or bottom, can hold a commercially available chemiluminescent light source such as a chemiluminescent disc, light stick, or the like, which preferably is activated just prior to insertion in the holder. The holder, light source, and desired transparent or translucent drinkwear article are assembled so that the article is held by the holder with an activated light source in operative position to substantially uniformly illuminate the article. The activated chemiluminescent device emits light, which makes the fluid in the container appear to glow. The holder may also glow depending upon its construction. Once the chemiluminescent reaction ends, a new light source can be activated and inserted in the holder. The chemiluminescent radiates from the entire body of the chemiluminescent mixture. This is unlike a battery activated point light source where there will be areas that are not able to glow or emit light.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention light sticks can be inserted through the bottom or side of the holder so the light stick is coiled within the holder. For a traditional light stick, the bending breaks the inner container, letting the chemiluminescent process begin.
Another embodiment of the invention uses, for example, a flexible sleeve, which is wrapped around the bottle and holds either a disc or light sticks against the bottle to permit it to be illuminated by the chemiluminescent devices.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention uses a container disc or other chemiluminescent charge container, which is matched to a recess in the vessel to assure a snug fit of the chemiluminescent container to the vessel.
A further embodiment uses a disc designed to allow insertion of a light stick through an opening in the side of the disc. This last embodiment may be made small enough to allow a cap cover version of the present invention such that the illumination from the light stick illuminates the drinkwear article from the top of the article.
Other embodiments of the invention have a ring such as a sleeve or collar, which goes around the article. The ring has at least one holder for a chemiluminescent device. The ring may be a partial ring, which tends to close resiliently on the article and holds the light source. If the ring is made of elastic material with a notch for a light stick on the interior surface it can slide over the entire article as desired.
Another embodiment of the invention has a collar, which can hold a chemiluminescent charge container and fit over the top of an article such as a bottle.
Another embodiment of the invention has flexible leaves above a chemiluminescent disc of similar light source. An elastic band may be used to hold the leaves to a container. This has an alternate embodiment where two half rings are place about the container.